<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>
6.824 General Information
</TITLE>
<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="MIT EECS 6.824 2021 general information">
<SCRIPT SRC="common.js"></SCRIPT>
<style>
  th {
    text-align: left;
  }
</style>
</HEAD>

<BODY BGCOLOR=#ffffff TEXT=#00000 onLoad="page_onload()">

<H2>
<CENTER>
<a href="index.html">6.824</a> - Spring 2021
</CENTER>
</H2>

<H1>
<CENTER>
General Information
</CENTER>
</H1>

<CENTER>
<p>
<b><a href="general.html#structure">Structure</a></b> //
<b><a href="general.html#grading">Grading policy</a></b> //
<b><a href="general.html#staff">Staff</a></b> //
<b><a href="general.html#officehours">Office Hours</a></b> //
<b><a href="general.html#acks">Acknowledgements</a></b> //
</CENTER>

<HR>

<p><h2>Structure</h2>

<p>6.824 is a core graduate subject with
lectures, labs, an optional project, a mid-term exam, and a final exam.
12 units,  6 EDPs.
</p>

<p>Class meets TR1-2:30 via synchronously-recorded zoom meeting (link
  will be posted in <a href="https://piazza.com/mit/spring2021/6824">Piazza</a>).  
Most class meetings will be part lecture
  and part paper discussion.  You should read the paper <i>before</i>
  coming to class, and be prepared to discuss it.
  The <a href="schedule.html">schedule</a> indicates the paper to read
  for each meeting.

<p>
We will post a question about each paper 24 hours before the beginning
of class on the <a href="schedule.html">schedule</a> (see Question
link for each paper).  Your answer need only be long enough to
demonstrate that you understand the paper; a paragraph or two will
usually be enough.  We won't give feedback, but we will glance at your
answers to make sure they make sense, and they will contribute to your
grade.  For each lecture you must also submit your own question about
the paper.

<p>6.824 will have a midterm exam during the ordinary lecture time,
  and a final exam during finals week.
  You must attend both exams.
  There will be no make-up or alternate conflict time for the midterm
  exam. (If you have time-zone challenge, please send us email.)

<p>There are programming labs due every week or two throughout the term.
These labs are to be done <i>individually</i>.

<p>Towards the end of the term you can choose between doing a final
<a href="project.html">project</a> based on your own ideas, or doing <a href="labs/lab-shard.html">Lab 4</a>.  If you
want to do a project, you must form a team of two or
three people, the project must involve ideas covered in 6.824,
and we must approve it. You'll hand in a short project proposal, and,
if we approve, you'll design and build a system; at the end of the
term you'll hand in a summary of your results (which we'll post) and do a short
presentation and demo in class.

<p>
To do well in 6.824, you should already be familiar with computer
systems to the level of 6.033 and 6.004, and you should be good at
debugging, implementing, and designing software, perhaps as a result
of taking programming-intensive courses such as 6.828 and 6.035.

<!-- RULE: grading -->
<p><a name="grading">
<hr>
</a>

<p><h2>Grading</h2>

Final course grades will be based on: <br>
<UL>
    <LI>50% labs (programming assignments), including optional project
    <LI>20% mid-term exam
    <LI>20% final exam
    <li>10% paper question answers and your own questions about papers
</UL>

<p>
To help you cope with unexpected emergencies, you can hand in your Lab
1, 2, 3, and 4A
solutions late, but the total amount of lateness summed over all the
lab deadlines must not exceed 72 hours. You can divide up your 72 hours
among the labs however you like; you don't have to ask or tell us.
You can only use late hours for Labs 1, 2, 3, and 4A; you cannot
use late hours for Lab 4B or for any aspect of the project.

<p>
If you hand an assignment in late, and your total late time (including
the late time for that assignment) exceeds 72 hours, and you hand it
in by the last day of classes, then we'll give it a D if it seems to
mostly work, or zero credit if it doesn't. We will not accept any work
after the last day of classes, regardless of late hours. If you don't
hand in an assignment by the last day of classes, we'll give the
assignment zero credit.

<p>
If you want an exception to
these rules, please ask S3 to send us an excuse note.

<hr>

<p><h2>Collaboration policy</h2>

<p>
You must write all the code you hand in for the programming assignments,
except for code that we give you as part of the assignment. You are
not allowed to look at anyone else's solution.
You may discuss the
assignments with other students, but you may not look at or use
each other's code.

<p>
Please do not publish your code or make
it available to current or future 6.824 students.
<tt>github.com</tt> repositories are public by default, so please
don't put your code there unless you make the repository private. You
may find it convenient to use
<a href="https://github.mit.edu/">MIT's GitHub</a>,
but be sure to create a private repository.

<p>
You may discuss the paper questions with other
students, but you may not look at other students' answers.  You must
write your answers yourself.

<!-- RULE: staff -->
<p><a name="staff">
<hr>
</a>

<p><h2>Staff</h2>

<p>
Please use <a
href="mailto:6824-staff@lists.csail.mit.edu"><i>6824-staff@lists.csail.mit.edu</i></a>
to send questions or comments about the course to the staff.

<p>
<table cellspacing=1 cellpadding=1>

<tr>	<td width=25%><b>Lecturer</b></td></tr>

<tr>    <td><a href="../~kaashoek/~kaashoek.html">Frans Kaashoek</a></td>
	<td width=15%><a href="../sites/default/files/resources/maps/9G/G972.gif">32-G992</a></td>
	<td><span class="email_autofill">kaashoek at csail.mit.edu</span></td>

<tr>    <td>&nbsp;</td></tr>

<tr>	<td><b>Teaching assistants</b></td></tr>

<tr>    <td>Cel Skeggs</td>
    <td></td>
    <td><span class="email_autofill">cela at mit.edu</span></td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>David Morejon</td>
	<td></td>
	<td><span class="email_autofill">dmorejon at mit.edu</span></td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Jose Javier Gonzalez</td>
	<td></td>
	<td><span class="email_autofill">jjgo at mit.edu</span></td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Lily Tsai</td>
    <td></td>
    <td><span class="email_autofill">tslilyai at mit.edu</span></td>
</tr>

</tr>
</table>

<HR>

<a name="officehours"> </a>
<h2>Office hours</h2>

Office hours will be held on Zoom. Links will be pinned on 
<a href="https://piazza.com/mit/spring2021/6824">Piazza</a>.
<br>
We're aiming to replicate the in-person experience as much as possible, meaning
that we want to encourage student collaboration while you wait for staff help. 
If you want to work with other students, join the "main room" of the Zoom session for that day. When
you are claimed from the queue, the TA will put you in a breakout room for 1-1 help. 

<p>
<a href="https://queue.mit.edu/6.824/queue">Queue</a><br>

<p>
<table cellspacing=1 cellpadding=1>

<tr>	<td width=25%><b>Time (ET)</b></td></tr>

<tr>    <td>Sun</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>6-8PM</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>Cel</td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Mon</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>2:30-4:30PM</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>David</td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Tues</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>11AM-1PM</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>Lily</td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Tues</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>5-7PM</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>Jose</td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Wed</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>10AM-Noon</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>David</td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Wed</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>5-7PM</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>Cel</td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Thurs</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>10AM-Noon</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>Jose</td>
</tr>

<tr>    <td>Thurs</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>2:30-4:30PM</td>
	<td></td>
    <td>Lily</td>
</tr>

</table>

<br>
Appointments with staff outside of the listed office hours can be setup via
email or private Piazza post.<br>

</p>

<HR>

<h2>Acknowledgements</h2>
<a name="acks"> </a>

<p>Robert Morris, Frans Kaashoek, and Nickolai Zeldovich developed
much of the 6.824 course material.

<HR>

<p>Questions or comments regarding 6.824?  Send e-mail to
<a href="mailto:6824-staff@lists.csail.mit.edu"><i>6824-staff@lists.csail.mit.edu</i></a>.
<p>
<b><a href="general.html#top">Top</a></b> //
<b><a href="index.html">6.824 home</a></b> //
